10 Apps to Download for Your New iPad Retina Display

You just dropped $500 for a new iPad, and now it’s time to load it up with the apps that are going to show off the stunning Retina display.

Most iOS apps haven’t yet been updated to take advantage of the iPad’s 2048 x 1536 resolution. But of the 30-odd ones that have, here are the 10 that are most worth your time.

Photo: Christina Bonnington/Wired

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy is one of the stellar gaming apps Apple demonstrated on the new iPad at its announcement. In this 3-D title, you’ll dogfight your way through the air in a jet, gunning down enemy fighter jets and carriers floating on the water below.

The app is packed with details like sun rays and glare, volumetric clouds with realistic lighting, and jet engine haze, which makes for an unparalleled visual experience. And with multiple gaming modes including Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch, you’ve got a lot of options for gameplay.

Martha Stewart Cookies

The iPad makes a great cookbook propped up on a stand in the kitchen. For some high-resolution recipe action that will satisfy your sweet tooth, check out Martha Stewart Cookies.

You can browse and search through over 90 different cookie recipes, each illustrated with mouth-watering high-resolution photos. The app also has useful features like shopping lists, timers, and a unit converter for making baking pain-free.

iLife Suite

This isn’t one app, but three: iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand, all of which have been updated and optimized for the third-generation iPad (except iPhoto, which is a new addition to the tablet).

iPhoto offers a plethora of ways you can tweak and edit photos from your Camera Roll, from white balance and skin-tone balance to brushes and effects. It’s designed specifically to take advantage of the iPad’s 5-megapixel camera, and the 3.1 million pixels in the iPad’s display.

If you have any inkling of musical talent, GarageBand is a must. The iPad app, which offers options for creating your own tunes with piano, guitar, bass, and drums, has been updated with a new Smart Instrument (Smart Strings), as well as a Note Editor for fine tuning, iCloud and Sharing.

iMovie, Apple’s consumer-facing video editor, has been updated for the Retina display and now lets you create Hollywood-style movie trailers for your video masterpieces, just like the desktop version of the app.

Solar Walk

Explore the solar system and Milky Way in 3-D with Solar Walk, a time-sensitive, interactive digital model.

Solar Walk is chock full of videos and information about our galaxy and the planets that orbit around our sun. But you don’t have to be an astronomer to appreciate the rich, colorful graphics. Zoom out to Galaxy View to watch a rendition of our entire galaxy spinning in space.

Incredibooth

Set your new iPad up on a table and grab some friends -- Incredibooth turns your iPad into an ultraportable photobooth. Brought to you by the guys who created Hipstamatic, Incredibooth uses your iPad’s camera to snap a series of shots photobooth-style, which you can enhance through filters you can buy for $1 in-app.

It’s a much cheaper option than actually renting out a photobooth for your next soiree.

Sketchbook Pro

For digital art on the iPad, this is your canvas. Sketchbook Pro provides a professional-level touch-based interface for creating and editing iPad-drawn masterpieces. Over 60 preset brushes are at your disposal, and you can import images straight from the iPad’s camera.

Its UI is customizable, which makes accessing your favorite brushes and color palettes only a tap away. Completed creations can be shared via e-mail, Dropbox, or iTunes file sharing, among other options.

Evernote

Evernote is one of those apps you just have to have on our iDevice. It’s got a clean, intuitive user interface, and now that it’s been updated to take advantage of the new iPad’s high-resolution display, it’s time to download it.

Evernote lets you write and sync notes across all of your mobile devices. You can organize your to-dos, notes, and task lists by storing them in notebooks, or adding tags. And if you still have trouble remembering where you jotted down that information from yesterday’s meeting, you can search through your notes (including text inside images).

Tweetbot for iPad

Tweetbot is one of the best ways to access your Twitter feed on the iPad, and now it’s been updated for the Retina display.

Tweetbot offers a number of useful features for managing your Twitter habit: customizable navigation and gestures, multiple timelines for those who use Lists heavily, and support for services like Read it Later, Instapaper, and Cloudapp URL Shortening. Also: It looks darn good.